


your future's ready to shine (so don't close your eyes)

by ShatterinSeconds



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (in the future) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Blade of Marmora Lance (Voltron), Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Post-Canon, Time Travel, allura is alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23952832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShatterinSeconds/pseuds/ShatterinSeconds
Summary: Lifting his head to ask just what is so funny, Lance’s words catch in his throat. He blinks when he sees it, almost hoping it will disappear the next time he opens his eyes. But the universe hates him because it remains swinging around Keith’s neck. A golden ring on a thin silver chain, unmistakably a wedding ring.Something crashes down into Lance’s stomach.His heart most likely.“You’re married?” Lance’s voice is thick when he speaks. He’s surprised he even can, to be honest.(or a time travel AU)
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 69
Kudos: 1080





	your future's ready to shine (so don't close your eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> Major changes to canon: Allura is alive and Allura and Lance’s date ended with them deciding to stay friends/it wasn’t really a date to begin with. 
> 
> My favorite thing about time travel AUs is Lance being jealous of himself without realizing it so I indulged myself in this fic lol.
> 
> Hope you enjoy:)

~*~

**future.**

“Keith, sweetheart, I love you, but I thought we learned not to fool around with strange things in space.”

Keith swings his gaze back towards Lance, smirk on his face. “Like you’re one to talk.”

“That’s not the point of this conversation,” Lance says, crossing his arms and tapping his foot in good measure. It doesn’t seem to get the point across though by the way Keith’s attention is easily drawn back to the object. “You shouldn’t touch it. We don’t know much about this planet or, you know, _weird_ objects in temples.”

“It’s just so… egg shaped.” Keith’s brows pinch in thought as he continues studying the object only a few inches away from him. If Lance isn’t mistaken, the glow seems to strengthen as Keith reaches his hand out, like the light wants to grab hold of him, claim him, capture him. “Can’t you hear it humming?”

Worried now, Lance’s heart spikes as his arms fall back to his sides. He steps closer, but he’s too slow. The golden light covers the shadows across Keith’s face and streaks color into his braided hair. “Keith, what are you talking about? I don’t hear anything.”

“Really?” Keith mumbles in a daze as his feet slide him ever closer to the object. “It’s singing.”

“Keith!” Lance screams as he finally darts forward, hoping to grab Keith by the arm to pull him back, but he is too late. 

Keith’s fingers brush against the object, and in a blink, he blips out of existence, and the glow the egg had been giving off extinguishes. Lance becomes bathed in darkness before a few of the temporary electric bulbs blink on, washing out the room in a white light. 

“Keith?” Lance whispers in vain hope. But there is no answer from his husband. He tries a new approach. “I swear to god, if you’re not already dead, I’m going to kill you when you get back. So please just come back, alright?” Lance screams to the empty room as his voice floats up towards the vaulted ceilings, never to reach its intended target. Lance pinches the bridge of his nose, heart pounding in his chest. “Son of a bitch.”

_Where the hell are you?_

~*~

**past.**

“Someone would like to speak to you,” says Kolivan on the monitor before the group. 

Keith appears on screen beside Kolivan but it’s not Keith. This impostor is too old for starters, mid-twenties at the youngest, with some type of scar cutting across his right cheek. His hair, which has grown out of that awful ~~ly endearing~~ mullet, falls across his shoulder in a braid, and he wears a Blade of Marmora suit no different from Kolivan’s. 

Lance taps his chin. “Does he look… bigger to you? He’s definitely bigger.” 

Something is obviously wrong when he hears the fake-Keith on screen snort at this comment, shaking his head as if he’s honestly amused by Lance’s antics and not the least bit annoyed. 

So yeah, whoever this is, they’re not Keith.

But also, Lance kind of isn’t complaining…. because they are hella nice to look at it. Not that he has a crush on _his_ Keith currently, definitely not. Definitely does not think about him a few times a day since he left for the Blade. 

No one can prove else wise, anyways.

Lance especially tries to cover his opened mouth, gaped fish, can-he-be-any-more-bi expression when Keith steps foot onto the Castle Ship, greeting everyone with a warm smile.

Taller, broader in the shoulders and chest, and is all around just _bigger_ …. Has Lance mentioned that this Keith is bigger?

More grizzled maybe.

After Coran performs some tests to truly authenticate Keith, the team simultaneously relaxes as they all begin a long meeting to figure out what the hell has happened. 

Blah, blah, blah, Lance doesn’t quite listen to the briefing, too busy eyeing Keith. He’s from six years in the future--that’s really all Lance catches, and something else about a glowing egg but he had been pretty zoned out during that part, watching the way Keith’s eyes lit up, brushing a stray lock of hair behind his ear, while talking.

Something sharp punches into his stomach, and while wheezing, he catches Pidge’s grin, her elbow still close enough to him to mark it as the traitorous object. “You good?” she asks cheekily.

“Just shut up,” and he forces himself to listen to the rest of the debriefing. 

Lance can’t help studying Keith, can’t help becoming obsessed over this older version of his teammate. Of this person who his Keith will supposedly become one day. 

He had walked into the lounge fresh from a shower, a few holo-pads tucked in his arms, bare feet padding silently across the floor, and hair loose around his shoulders--it practically falls to the middle of his back, and Lance’s fingers twitch in want of needing to run his hands through it. Clothed in a black long sleeve t-shirt and sweatpants, probably pilfered from Shiro’s closet, he looks so cozy, something Lance thought he’d never be able to use as a description for Keith. He may even be willing to go as far as to say Keith looks cute, but that might be too much for him to currently handle. Or admit to.

He can’t think Keith is cute; he has a reputation to uphold… that’s currently crumbling every minute he spends in future-Keith’s presence. Especially when those dark eyes fall on Lance randomly throughout the day, his lips quirking. 

What is this man doing to him?

“You’re drooling,” Hunk comments with a smile as he leaves Lance’s side to move somewhere else in the room to, Lance presumes, be far away from whatever _this_ is. Lance blindly swats at him but misses by a mile.

Making eye contact with Keith had been the wrong decision because soon Lance has a holo-pad shoved into his hands as he’s roped into trying to search the database for Keith’s mysterious planet and object. It’s tedious work searching through all the cataloged systems, especially since Keith isn’t even sure it’s a planet that would have been mapped yet.

A warm laugh falls from Keith’s lips as he scrolls past something on his pad.

And that about does Lance in right there. He couldn’t last five minutes, five seconds even.

How has he gone this long without hearing Keith’s genuine laugh?

It’s beautiful. 

Lifting his head to ask just what is so funny, Lance’s words catch in his throat. He blinks when he sees it, almost hoping it will disappear the next time he opens his eyes. But the universe hates him because it remains swinging around Keith’s neck. A golden ring on a thin silver chain, unmistakably a wedding ring. 

Something crashes down into Lance’s stomach.

His heart most likely. 

“You’re married?” Lance’s voice is thick when he speaks. He’s surprised he even can, to be honest.

“Hm?” Keith peers down at his chest for a moment after following Lance’s gaze, eyes widening a small amount upon seeing that his necklace has come out from under his shirt. But he doesn’t tuck it back in out of sight; he just lets it dangle there. “Oh yeah, but I’m not going to tell you who my spouse is,” Keith answers, but then to appear less rude, he follows up with, “Don’t want to risk changing the timeline and all that.”

Lance swallows but nods in understanding. The curiosity still bites at him however. “If I ask you general questions, will you answer them?”

“If they’re general, yes.”

He has to choose his words carefully; this is _vitally_ important after all. “Did you meet them after the war or during?’

“During.”

“Have you already met them or will you meet them later?” Lance asks next, biting his lip to ignore the ugly anticipation filling up his gut.

Those dark eyes are locked onto Lance again as Keith stares directly at him. “I’ve already met them.”

While his heart sputters weakly in a brief celebration, Lance’s mind can’t help but remind himself of how Keith arrived in a leader’s uniform for the Blade. It’s clear the organization strongly resonates with Keith far into the future, and why not stay with them if you also met the love of your life there? Keith’s spouse must be another Blade member and that means Lance’s Keith has probably been buddy-buddy with them for these last few months. Maybe they’ve already confessed to each other.

Realizing he’s been silent for too long--and that both Keith _and_ Hunk are watching him--Lance quickly responds with, “Oh coolcoolcoolcool.” His stomach hurts or maybe it’s his heart. He plasters on his realist fake smile because really, he should not be disappointed--Keith deserves happiness too. “Congrats, man.” 

And with that, he scurries out of the room.

What Lance doesn’t hear is:

Hunk, who has witnessed the entire exchange first hand, walks up behind Keith. His arms are crossed as he stares at the door Lance just exited out of. “You’re married to Lance in the future, aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

Instead Lance hears this as he passes by the kitchen later in the evening, ear pressed against the wall close to the opened door as he eavesdrops on Keith and Shiro’s conversation:

“Yeah, we even started talking about finally starting a family. It still might be a couple years away, but getting our foot in the door for the adoption process will be good.”

“I’m sure I’ve said this to you in the future, but I’m proud of you.”

Lance can hear the soft smile in Keith’s voice. “I know.”

He makes himself a ghost for the rest of the day.

“I had a feeling you were sulking.” Keith stands a few feet away from where Lance sits on the window bench. Lazily turning his head, Lance briefly flickers his gaze over the older man, swallowing a chuckle at the bedhead that frames Keith’s face. There are dark bags under Keith’s eyes too, but Lance notes those too late.

“Someone has to take over your job since you--since my Keith left,” Lance mutters, and at that confession, he sighs and drops his feet back to the floor to give Keith room to sit on the bench. He pats the now open spot in case Keith didn’t get the message. “What are you doing up so late anyways?” Lance asks in an attempt to change the conversation.

Keith shrugs. “Honestly? I forgot how hard it was to sleep without someone besides me.”

“Right. Your spouse a cuddler?”

Keith’s lopsided smile reveals a bit of his teeth and he finally sits. “One of the best.”

His spouse is just so perfect, aren’t they?

Their shoulders brush for a moment as Keith positions himself in the small space, and Lance has to prevent himself from jumping. This is just entirely pathetic. Luckily, Keith doesn’t seem to catch on.

“Why can’t you sleep?” Keith asks, turning those dark eyes, and the tables, on him.

“Because of stuff,” Lance mumbles. Then he shrugs. 

“Wow, very descriptive. I understand everything now.” Keith’s voice drips in sarcasm before becoming gentle. “What’s actually bothering you?”

Lance shakes his head, trying to hide the small smile that has crept up on his face. “Who allowed you to be so attentive, huh? Are you sure you’re Keith? Like did we actually check your DNA?”

Keith leans back against the wall, amused by the flash of a challenge in Lance’s eyes. “I’m pretty sure Coran did.”

“I don’t trust those tests. They’re clearly false. Tell me something that proves you’re my Keith.”

Suddenly Keith’s hands land in the small space between them as he arches forward, almost nose to nose with Lance. So close that Lance can smell the Altean body wash still lingering on his skin. It’s intoxicating. “I know you remember our ‘bonding moment,’” Keith whispers.

Lance’s cheeks flush as he whips his gaze away. “Ok, no more of this. You pass.”

Keith’s obnoxious victory grin is enough to fill the silence. 

With a lull in the conversation, as Keith shifts to focus more on the stars outside the window, Lance is almost drawn into a light sleep by the hum of the ship’s engine. His eyes glaze over, subtly watching Keith: the sharp cut of his jawline, the way his hair curls still as black as night. 

“Can I braid your hair?” Lance says absentmindedly as he stares for the third time when Keith flicks his long hair over his shoulder. “I mean--” Lance’s eyes widen when he realizes what he just blurted out. Red blush darkens his cheeks in embarrassment. “Crap.”

Before Lance decides that melting into the floor and slinking away is a lot easier than staying, Keith turns so his back faces Lance. “Knock yourself out.” Lance can’t see his face but part of him doesn’t doubt that Keith is smiling. 

He’s been doing that a lot lately. Smiling.

Forcing aside any last reservations, Lance begins to brush his hands through Keith’s hair to tame that bedhead and work through some of the small tangles. It takes Lance a moment to realize but his hair is so fucking long and so fucking soft. It’s hard not to marvel because someone seems to have finally taught Keith proper skin and hair care--he has a silent suspicion it had been Keith’s mysterious spouse. Lance runs his fingers through his hair one last time and then parts it in three semi-equal sections.

“You don’t have a mullet anymore, Mullet. I don’t know how to contain my excitement,” Lance dryly muses when they’ve both been silent for too long. Tension has eased away from his shoulders in a way Lance has never seen in his Keith. He thinks he may have actually lulled Keith to sleep with the rhythmic movements, just from how relaxed the older man appears. 

But Keith replies quick enough to disprove all of that. “I was wondering how long it would take you to comment.”

“I’d love to meet the person who convinced you to grow it out,” Lance says instead, refusing to take Keith’s bait that would dissolve into a round of bantering. “I feel like we’d get along.”

“Oh, you would,” Keith responds with a hint of a smirk in his words, if one isn’t already on his face. “You both have the same cocky, insufferable attitude.” 

“Hey!” Lance gasps in fake outrage--though part of him has to wonder if this other person and his mystery spouse are one in the same and why Lance frowns for a quick moment from being compared to them. “Do you have a hair tie?” Lance asks as he crosses the last few locks of hair together ignoring a pain in his chest.

Keith quickly glances at his bare wrists then pushes up his long sleeves in case a band traveled up his arm during the course of the day. “Ah, sorry,” Keith eventually replies, “y--my husband usually carries one since I always lose them.”

Lance is not pleased when his heart stutters from that little reveal.

The concrete details, the minor things that just spell out a loving couple, make everything more real and has Lance’s stomach turning, more than he’d like to admit. He knows this feeling well, jealousy; he’s not going to pretend it’s something else. 

Keith’s husband. Does he treat Keith right? Does he make Keith laugh--drawing out that little snort-chuckle Keith will sometimes make when Lance says something ridiculous? Does he accept all of Keith’s flaws? Does he love Keith for who he is?

Keith’s hair falls against his back when Lance lets go, hoping that he pulled the locks tight enough so his hard work won’t immediately come loose. 

“Am I happy in the future?” Lance eventually has the guts to ask after being caught up in his own head. He can’t even look Keith in the eyes when the older man turns around, head cocked to the side.

“I’d say you are,” Keith replies with conviction. “But I’m not you so I can’t answer that too accurately.” He pauses for a moment in realization. “Lance, is this what’s been keeping you up?”

Lance’s gaze remains pointed away from Keith when he asks his next question and ignores Keith’s previous one. Flush colors his skin from the embarrassment of it all. He really doesn’t want to appear so… lonely. “Do--Do I ever find someone?”

Keith hesitates when he studies Lance’s expression as if wanting to divulge some great secret of the future but ultimately decides against it. “You do. And they love you so so much.”

Lance sends Keith an incredulous glare. “How do you know for sure?”

“Just trust me, alright?” Keith holds out his pinky finger.

Lance chuckles at the childish gesture but eagerly wraps his own pinky around Keith’s to seal the pact. “You know I do.”

The new information only sedates his feelings for a little while before doubts creep in--mostly as he watches Keith fiddle with his wedding ring during breakfast the next day and Lance tries not to think of the future.

~*~

**future.**

Nausea is the first sensation that hits Keith as he tumbles through what appears to be a dark void of space until his feet hit something very solid, vibrations traveling up his legs. The world spins. 

The dizziness eases for a few seconds, enough for Keith to take in his surroundings. He finds himself standing in front of Lance. Which is already odd considering Lance is back on the Castle and Keith is--was on the Blade base, and this person is… older and pacing around the room as if in some type of crisis. 

Without permission, a pained groan escapes past Keith’s lips, sound echoing and head ringing, still recovering from the effects of whatever just happened, and he slumps against the wall in order to not fall onto the floor.

The older version of Lance jumps, startled when he swings his gaze to meet Keith. “Oh for fuck’s sake.” He sighs loudly for a moment, mouth muttering something like ‘this is not what I meant,’ but Keith is honestly just lost staring at the man in front of him. So lost in thought that he loses his balance and ends up sitting on the ground.

If this is Lance, he’s definitely in his twenties. His hair is a touch longer, now brushing into his eyes, his jawline is more defined, and a few more freckles dust his cheeks--not that Keith has ever counted before. He wears a white tank top with the top half of a somewhat familiar dark bodysuit hanging loose at his waist, as if he got too hot but stopped halfway through stripping. That tank top unfairly reveals well-toned biceps as well as Keith’s apparent interest in muscles on attractive guys--specifically on a guy he’s had a crush on for at least a year.

Keith struggles to contain the fact that he’s blushing.

Lance snaps his fingers near Keith’s face, drawing his attention. “Hey, do you know who I am?”

“You’re Lance but not…” Keith’s mind struggles to find an explanation for the person in front of him. “You’re _old_.”

“I’ve never had any gray hair, thank you very much,” Lance grumbles, offended by the description. “But at least I know you’re _definitely_ Keith.”

That sounds like an insult; Keith scrunches his nose.

“Will you tell me what’s going on?”

“I think you’re from the past,” Lance explains slowly, having to make sense of everything for himself as well. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Keith thinks for a moment before responding; it’s been a long, tiring three minutes since he got here. “I was in my room on the Blade base and then it felt like my entire body was being pulled somewhere… which I guess was here.”

As if on autopilot, Lance’s face softens when he kneels to meet Keith’s gaze. His hand reaches out to brush back Keith’s bangs, but Lance hastily retracts his hand when he realizes what he almost did. With a sigh, Lance reveals, “You’re about six years in the future.”

“Is the war--”

“Over? Yes.”

Keith gives him a long look, a million thoughts racing through his head, a million questions resting on his tongue. “I doubt you’ll tell me how it all goes....”

“Everyone makes it out safe and sound, don’t worry.” Lance holds out his hand to help him up which Keith takes as he wobbles into a standing position. Sheepishly, Lance rubs the back of his neck, staring at Keith through his fringe. “Sorry I was a little curt earlier. I… I was just frazzled; someone important disappeared before you arrived.”

Well at least he wasn’t the one who did something stupid to get himself stuck in this situation, Keith thinks as he waves away Lance’s apology. “Something like this was bound to happen eventually.” Keith is about to ask who was unfortunate enough to get pulled into the past when something gold catches his attention as Lance lowers his hand. Surprisingly, though maybe Keith really shouldn’t be too surprised, a wedding ring rests on Lance’s finger. “You’re married; that’s uh… _neat_ ,” he manages to congratulate Lance.

_Allura is a lucky woman._

He feels nauseous again but he knows the effects of time travel have already worn off. A strained smile rests on Keith’s lips that Lance either chooses to ignore or just doesn’t notice. The question, however, seems to momentarily knock Lance out of his mood. 

“It is, isn’t it?” Lance smiles at him, as if gloating. “But I can’t tell you who it is--timeline stuff, you know. They make me really happy though, despite the fact that they’re a _giant_ pain in the ass, especially when I tell them _not_ to touch the cool ancient object and they touch it and stuff like this happens.” Lance annoyingly gestures to Keith who is too caught up in his own thoughts.

So maybe not Allura then? Keith can never see Lance calling her a ‘giant pain in the ass;’ plus she isn’t stupid enough to touch something she doesn’t understand. Does that mean Keith switched places with Lance’s spouse? “Interesting,” he says aloud then quickly plays it off as a cough.

“Let’s get out of this stuffy temple and start figuring things out.” Lance gestures for Keith to follow him, and not knowing where he is, Keith has no choice but to trail after him without complaint.

Out of the temple now, Keith realizes that the planet they’re on is a jungle. They struggle through vines and over large roots and gnats running into them before making it to an open clearing where a few ships are parked. A campsite is set up between them.

And yeah, Keith is shocked that this is the Blade of Marmora--or at least he recognizes the uniforms; most of the people are strangers. He thinks he sees Zethrid, Ezor, and Acxa crouching over some maps or plans but that could also be the trick of the light. Keith could really be hallucinating this entire trip.

When the hell does Lance join the Blade? More importantly, _why_? Keith’s not going to be selfish and think Lance followed him so they can stay close, to maybe put a label on that closeness, after the war.

That would be hoping for too much.

Lance trudges through the campsite, heading towards one of the ships. It’s rather small, maybe a two person craft, but when they walk up the ramp, Keith realizes it is bigger than it appears from the outside. A long hallway ends at the cockpit but he spots a few doors for rooms or storage. 

Stopping at the last door on the right, Lance waves his arm in a flourish as it opens. “This is me and my spouse’s room; feel free to make yourself at home. I gotta go debrief everyone but I’ll be back soon.”

When Lance leaves without waiting for a response, Keith studies the room; he was practically given an open invitation to do just that. Usually Keith isn’t one to go snooping into someone’s personal business, opening drawers, looking in closets or under beds, but the curiosity of what this future holds--of who Lance has married--weighs on him. The room itself is pretty spartan, but Lance and his spouse must have to travel light, so it’s expected. He wonders if they have a more permanent house on Earth.

What almost immediately catches Keith’s eye as he hesitantly walks further into the room is that on the left nightstand is a small collection of rocks and gems collected from planets arranged in a pretty display. Keith has a similar hobby, something he hasn’t been able to keep up with at the Blade base but his room back on the Castle is filled with them. Absentmindedly, he picks up the smooth blue one, rolling it between his fingers. It’s a very nice collection too; Keith probably would have picked out the same rocks. 

When he finally looks to the right, Keith sees what he presumes to be Lance’s nightstand, decorated with a photo of his family and a reading book. Then Keith swings his gaze back to the left to realize that there’s also a photo.

A wedding photo.

Of him and Lance. 

Smiling, happy, with rings on their fingers.

“ _Oh_.” 

When Lance returns, Keith practically shoves the picture frame in his face. “So me and you…?”

Lance fumbles for an excuse, mouth opening and closing like a fish, before he settles on the masterpiece of, “Whoops.”

“I switched places with myself?” Keith continues to ask though he already knows the answer. “I’m the idiot who caused this all to happen?”

Lance, during his time away, has changed out of the remaining parts of his Blade uniform, now clothed in jeans and still _that_ tank top. Keith refuses to allow his eyes to wander. “You’re correct on both accounts.”

Keith doesn't take the bait, on a roll with his ramblings now. “But we’re married? Somehow in the last six years, I managed to gather up the courage to confess to you and we started dating?” Keith slumps onto the bed, frame thrown onto the mattress as his head falls into his hands. He grips his hair. 

“If you want to be technical about it, I asked you out first,” Lance replies as he sits beside Keith. A hand rests on his shoulder and Keith looks up. “You know, I would ask if you’re disappointed in the fact that you marry me, but I know you’re not.” Lance flashes him with an obnoxious smile and Keith weakly shoves him in the arm.

“Asshole.” Keith wonders who proposed first--he supposes he could just ask but some part of him wants to keep it a mystery. He wants some surprises for the future after all.

“A charming, beautiful asshole who’ll sweep you off your feet one day.”

“Oh god.” Keith can only stare at the wall in front of him--a mistake when he realizes it's splattered with even more pictures, some of their team, a little older but content, a wolf-like animal that’s rather cute, and too many to count of both him and Lance. He needs to find familiar ground; this is overloading his brain. “Are we… co-leading the Blade together?”

“Pretty much,” Lance confirms. “I stayed on Earth for a year or so after the war to help my family out but then followed you back into space.”

Keith nods his head, his lips twitching upwards. Lance will follow him no matter where he goes, won’t he? For once in his life, Keith is actually excited for the future. “So how do I get back?” _To make this life happen,_ is the unspoken words between them.

For the first time since they started talking, a frown rests on Lance’s face; his eyes are crestfallen as he stares at his socked feet. “Unfortunately it looks like the object my Keith touched has lost whatever power it contained. I think it’s all up to him in the past now.” Lance bites his lower lip as it begins to tremble.

Inwardly, Keith cringes; he’s terrible at providing support, yet when it comes to Lance, no matter the version, somehow the words always seem to appear. “He, he won’t be alone in figuring it out.” Keith hesitantly reaches out to rest his hand on top of Lance’s. “He’ll come back soon.”

Tilting his head slightly to the side, Lance stares at him with a quiet gaze. If Keith peers close enough, he believes he would be able to spot a few tears that prick at the corner of Lance’s eyes. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s to never bet against you.” Lance threads his fingers through Keith’s, squeezing once before releasing. “If you don’t mind, I think you’ll have to stay in the ship for the time being. You’ve already had enough spoilers.”

“And who’s fault was that?” Keith raises an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t my fault. You were snooping.”

Keith gestures to the offending object that started this. “The picture was right out here in the open. I didn’t look for it on _purpose_.”

“Well, I’m sorry I didn’t have time to put incriminating evidence away. The universe never gave me a warning that I’d have to deal with the younger version of my husband for who knows how long,” Lance lightly grumbles, gazing at him for a long moment, expression softening with each second that passes. Maybe Keith does start to count Lance’s freckles, his eyelashes. “Look, I don’t know when you’ll be returning so I think now is a good time to give you two pieces of advice.” Intrigued, Keith motions for Lance to continue. He counts on his hand, lifting one finger to start. “One, you should always listen to me because I am always right--”

Keith snorts. “Doubtful.”

“And _two,_ ” Lance stresses, ignoring Keith’s comment, “be patient with me. It might take us--me awhile to get there, but I promise you, we will.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Keith replies as he begins to smile, a cautious one. “You’re someone who’s worth waiting for.” 

~*~

**past.**

Lance has always been mesmerized by Keith when he trains and catching an older Keith in mid-combat is no different. His dagger is fully extended into a sword as he battles one of the Altean training bots. It is definitely set to one of the highest levels--one Lance wouldn’t even dream about trying without a bunch of painkillers or a healing pod at the ready. Both of their weapons are a blur as they dance across the training room, Keith ducking and jumping and doing all sorts of moves that shouldn’t be legal when Lance is in the vicinity.

Keith must have found a hair tie because his hair has been pulled into a rather messy bun, wisps of hair framing his face as he blows his bangs out of his eyes and contemplates his next move. He still hasn’t noticed Lance, or maybe he has. Maybe he’s just putting on a show now--if Lance didn’t know better, he’d say that Keith’s swings are a little more flashier. 

The battle finishes when Keith catches an opening to slice off the bots legs and stabs it in the place where its heart would be. The simulation beeps, signaling the end of the battle, and the bot disappears. When Keith swings around, as expected, he doesn’t even seem surprised to find Lance leaning against the wall. 

“That wasn’t bad,” Lance comments as a greeting and pushes himself off the wall to meet Keith halfway.

The older man chugs the entire contents of his water pouch, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and pushes his sweaty bangs out his eyes. Those actions shouldn’t be that attractive and yet they are--Lance’s cheeks shouldn’t be heating up and yet.... Keith sends Lance a little ‘hello’ wave in the process before he is able to speak again. “You want to spar?”

“As much as getting my ass kicked sounds like so much fun, I think we found the planet you were talking about,” Lance says, purposefully avoiding eye contact when Keith uses part of his shirt to wipe sweat off his face. Because what are the odds that the movement reveals that perfect sliver of skin that Lance’s gaze is immediately drawn toward. “If you’re ready to go.”

By now, they have--or more accurately Pidge has--figured out that in order for Keith to return to his own time, he has to touch the object that brought him here to begin with. Once they found the planet, there wasn’t much reason to delay the inevitable. Lance knows the team aches at the thought of losing Keith, no matter what version, again, but it also means they’ll get their Keith back too. Or so that’s the hope. 

It’s an educated guess that the two have switched places--Lance has to wonder how his Keith is enjoying the future.

“I can shower first, right?” Keith asks, gesturing to his sweaty-self.

“If you think I was gonna be stuck with a smelly you in a tiny cockpit for who knows how long, then you really don’t know me at all.”

Keith smiles at Lance’s words--honestly it is practically a bright beam as he twirls that dagger before sheathing it. “You’re escorting me home, then?”

“Yeah.” Lance dramatically bows. “Your magical chariot awaits, kind sir.” Lance can’t help the thrill that jolts through him when Keith actually laughs. It’s almost like a drug at this point. “Plus I drew the short straw.”

He’s still smiling when Keith punches him in the arm. 

After his shower, Keith changes back into his Blade leader outfit, and Lance mourns the loss of seeing him in cozy wear.

They take an Altean pod instead of the Red Lion because for one, it’s just going to be a simple drop off mission (in and out, no contact with the locals), and two, the lions only have one seat and Lance isn’t sure older Keith would have wanted to sit on his lap for the hour plus ride. The rest of the team has unexpected Coalition duties to deal with, and if Lance is being perfectly honest with himself, he’s glad he has Keith to himself for these last few hours.

You would have to torture Lance before he would say that out loud of course. It’s locked up tight; he threw away the key and everything.

They’re about thirty minutes from the planet, having spent their time in idle chit-chat, when it dawns on Lance. “So what about us?” he finally has the sense to ask.

Keith’s entire body straightens, tension in his shoulders returning, as he cautiously swings his gaze around to meet Lance. “What do you mean?”

Lance shrugs. “You seem to know detailed stuff about me… I was just wondering.”

A thick veil of silence hangs in the air as eons pass before Keith responds. “We become pretty uh _close_.”

Lance’s heart rate unhelpfully spikes but he plays it off as calm and collected in his response. With the pod on autopilot, Lance places his arms behind his head, relaxing against the seat. “Oh that’s cool. I still make fun of you though, right? Can’t see myself giving that up, no matter if we’re best friends forever or not.”

A quiet smile graces his features, a commonality, Lance notes, when Keith is talking with him. But it’s a type of smile that implies that he is sharing an inside joke with only himself. “Yeah, don’t worry about that. You tease me plenty.”

“Good. I’m glad the fundamentals don’t change.”

Another pause threatens the air between them. Keith bites his lower lip, as if having a heavy mental debate over what to say next. It has Lance already leaning forward in anticipation. He hears Keith release a breath before saying, “You know, he will be back soon, permanently.”

Startled, Lance’s back wacks against the seat in his haste to lean away. A scowl rests on his lips. “What makes you think I care?”

“I know you do,” Keith says with that look in his eyes of ‘I know much more than you so don’t argue.’ But this doesn’t shut Lance up.

Grumbling, Lance crosses his arms and that awful feeling returns again. “It doesn’t matter though. You’re probably just gonna be all buddy-buddy with your future Blade husband and forget all about m--us again.”

Keith closes his eyes for a second, a deep, exasperated sigh passing across his lips as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Is _this_ why you’ve been so grumpy lately? You know, this is the exact reason why I didn’t want to tell you anything about the future.”

Lance remains silent, glaring at the counsel before him.

“Listen, Lance, I don’t know what fantasy future husband you’ve conjured for me but I assume it’s far from the truth.” Lance continues to glare, mind too hot to think properly as he just simmers in his own shame. He starts when he feels Keith place a hand on his shoulder--the gesture successfully draws Lance’s attention back to Keith, whose gray-violet eyes soften. “I’m not married to any current Blade member, okay?” 

When Lance is older, he will think back to this moment and realize that this is when Keith wanted to scream, ‘I’m married to you, you moron.’ But for now, Lance purses his lips, unconvinced even though he says, “Okay.”

He knows Keith doesn’t accept his response but the older man graciously lets it go with a shake of his head after one last comment. “Have an open mind, Lance. Some things might surprise you.”

“Yeah like you somehow becoming a master at giving solid life-advice.” Finally Lance cracks a genuine smile and the earlier tension between them dissolves. 

“Like I said, many surprises,” Keith says with an honest-to-god wink. Lance officially shuts up after that, not that he could find any words after his brain malfunctioned.

The trek from the pod to the temple is relatively short, and the only life they encounter is jungle vines and some gnat-like creatures. Keith remains close to his side, constantly unsheathing and sheathing his dagger despite the lack of danger--must be a nervous tick he developed over the years.

Lance cautiously eyes him as he bats away another vine before he accidentally walks into it. “You okay? Aren’t you glad to be going back to the future?”

“Of course,” Keith says automatically, relief flooding into his violet-gray eyes. “But I’m really not looking forward to a lecture about being impulsive. He’s going to be so pissed.”

“If you think your husband’s going to be mad at you, he won’t,” Lance says confidently, not knowing where these words have suddenly all come from. “He’ll just be happy to have you back. I know if I lost my spouse to a mysterious egg, all I’d care about is getting them back…. And then maybe tease them about it for the next few months, but I’d never be angry.”

“That, that helps more than you realize.” The smile Keith sends him this time shoots right to Lance’s heart and up his spine; it causes him to tingle all over.

“N-no problem.”

The temple is easy to break into, or not so much ‘break in’ since Keith remembers the correct stone to press to open the hidden entrance. It’s dark and dusty, not that surprising, but as they walk down the long corridor, a faint golden glow seeps into the hallway, guiding them to the large, open room. Just as Keith described a couple days ago, an egg shaped object sits on a pedestal in the middle of the empty space. 

“It’s humming; that’s a good sign.”

“Really?” Lance arches an eyebrow as he stays a comfortable distance away from it. Keith only walks closer. “I don’t hear anything.” 

Keith’s stops about an inch away from the object. The glow practically encompasses his entire body, painting him gold, and his eyes glimmer when he meets Lance’s one last time. As much as Lance hates to see him leave, it doesn’t feel like a goodbye and they don’t treat it as such. “I’ll see you soon,” Keith says with a grin as he lays a hand on the glowing egg and vanishes from Lance’s sight. 

His heart lurches for a moment as the temple darkens and he remains alone for a few seconds too long. But soon Lance’s ears pop as he’s knocked to the ground, a heavy weight toppling into him out of thin air. “ _Ooof_ ,” he mutters, catching his breath, though it is difficult with the lump on top of him. He will definitely have some bruises come the morning.

Soft black hair tickles Lance’s nose, and Keith groans beside him, picking himself off of Lance though Lance’s arm remains draped around his waist--almost like he’s cradling Keith. Keith’s eyes stay shut, allowing Lance to study him for a moment. His hair, though maybe a touch longer from the time he left for the Blade, is still a mullet and his skin is scar free, just as he remembers. Lance doesn’t realize how much he’s missed his Keith until his heart pitter-patters at this welcoming sight. Everything... every _one_ is back in their proper places. Those violet-gray eyes blink open to darkness and Lance’s lopsided expression.

“H-hey, Keith. Welcome back.”

And there’s that soft, quiet smile here on _his_ Keith’s face. A true wonder of the world, of the universe. He can’t quite look away. “Hey, Lance.”

Something sparks in Lance’s chest; he can’t wait for the moment when he feels ready to take that chance and confess to Keith. Maybe the future looks bright after all. 

~*~

**future.**

The first thing Keith does when he returns is kiss Lance--it’s not that hard since he practically falls into Lance’s embrace when he pops back into their own time. The hole Lance has had in his chest for the last couple of days fills with the warmth emanating from his husband. It had been fun walking down memory lane by seeing and interacting with Keith’s younger self, but _no one_ compares to his Keith.

“I really missed you,” Lance rushes after they break for air. He traces Keith’s scar with his thumb, marveling at this one detail. “I missed you so fucking much.” Peppering kisses along Keith’s cheeks, Lance barely allows Keith time to respond.

Keith nuzzles into Lance’s neck, mumbling, “My younger self didn’t keep you company?”

“Oh, he did,” Lance replies, “He also had _a lot_ of questions about us.”

“You told him?” Keith inquires, lifting his head, eyes growing wide; there’s a little bit of surprise in his tone but no anger is present. He lightly smacks Lance’s chest. “Lance, what have I told you about the importance of keeping the timeline intact? You were the one who showed me all of those old time travel movies.”

“And now I’m regretting that if it means I’m in for a lecture.” Lance laughs. “He found out all on his own… I didn’t _tell_ him.”

“You forgot about the wedding photo,” Keith deadpans.

“I forgot about the photo,” Lance repeats, ducking his head for a second as Keith just chuckles before breaking off. It’s sharp enough for Lance to notice. A pleasant song to his ears that falls deathly silent. 

“Um, I’m sorry for being impulsive and not listening,” Keith whispers, unable to look Lance in the eye. His hands resting on Lance tighten.

“Hey, hey, Keith, look at me.” Lance’s fingers find Keith’s chin, gently tilting it up so his eyes can match Lance’s gaze. “Being impulsive is your nature; I’m just relieved you’re back in one piece. Plus we can finally check time travel off the bucket list.”

Keith snorts in a laugh. “Have I told you how much I missed you?”

“Please enlighten me more.”

They leave the rest of the day to the others as they find themselves falling into bed, Lance wrapping his arms tight around Keith, afraid that if he lets go, Keith won’t be there anymore. He never wants to be apart from Keith like that again.

“Hey, Keith?” Lance quietly calls into his ear to get his attention, knowing Keith had just been about to fall asleep, eyelids at half mast. He can’t have that; it’s not even past ten o’clock at night.

Keith grumbles something unintelligible or maybe some inappropriate word before rolling over to face Lance. “Yeah?”

Lance sends him a cheeky grin in an attempt to appease that grumpy expression on his husband’s face. “It’s pretty embarrassing that you had a crush on me back then.”

“You were crushing on me too, loser,” Keith remarks with a slight smile. He blows his bangs out of his eyes, but Lance has to help him when they fall back into his face almost a second later. Lance’s fingers card through the strands, tucking them behind his ears.

“I clearly had better control over my feelings. No one knew anything.”

“Everyone knew. I was the only obtuse idiot.”

Lance grins. “Can’t argue with that.”

Keith drags his finger from Lance’s collarbone up to his neck, and he shivers from that touch. “I’m glad we stopped being idiots.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Keith surges forward, not that there is much of a gap to cover, and dives into a deep kiss. It’s a starving kiss, one that is just beginning to make up for two days of lost time. Their legs tangle as they slot together, Lance’s hands trailing up Keith’s chest as he slowly arches over him. He gives in and allows Keith to guide him, guide his mouth, and his teeth pull at Keith’s bottom lip as he rolls his hips. It draws out a moan from Keith that vibrates through Lance’s body.

Lance parts for a moment though his hand remains buried in Keith’s hair. “So do you want the lecture about the benefits of not touching random space objects now or in the morning?”

“You’re ridiculous,” Keith replies and distracts Lance with another round of kissing. Lance is not ashamed to admit that it works perfectly.

**Author's Note:**

> This was born from a text post I made on tumblr and it took me four months to write it into a fully fledged fic lol. I had a blast writing past Lance's sections.
> 
> Hope everyone is staying safe and hopefully this was able brighten your day or night!
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos:)


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